Help the Trash Gnasher swim
marine litter around the world’s ocean to
gobble up litter pollution,
which is travelling all around the world on ocean currents.
He can only eat the rubbish when it’s
travelling on the warm, RED surface
currents. If it sinks to the deep, BLUE
currents he will have to wait until it
re-surfaces again.
You have 2 minutes! Get to that litter before it either breaks down or
washes up on a beach somewhere!
plankton
glow show
Is your flashlight charged and turned on?
If so, you are ready to
ENTER the GLOW SHOW…
Point your light at the ceiling, it is covered in plankton! How
many different species can you find? The ocean is full of
tiny creatures called plankton. Some of them glow at night,
through a process called bioluminescence.
Now, point your flashlight
down to the floor, but look up
at the plankton. Are they glowing? This is because the paint
that we have used to make
these works a bit like how the
plankton glow in the ocean.
Want to make the plankton in this room really glow?
Press the switch next to the door. Bright lights will
come on for a few moments, and go off again.
Now, try adding yourself to the scene! Stand with your back
against the wall, get a friend to press the switch, and hold
perfectly still! When the light goes off move away from the
wall, and see if you’ve left your shadow on the wall!
2nd Floor, Galway City Museum
get electric
Magnets stick…to some things!!! Here
you can see what the magnets stick to,
and what they don’t. How do magnets stick? I don’t see any sticky glue!
1
2 Where do magnets get there stick from? Find the handle at the side of
this table, it is connected to a big magnet. Now try gently pushing and
holding the handle and see what happens in the dark liquid.
See the spikes? They are made as the invisible forcefield
(magnetic fields) around the magnet as it comes near
liquid in the bowl. Inside that liquid are tiny particles of
magnetized iron. These tiny magnets in the liquid are reacting to the magnetic field of the big magnet beneath.
So now you can see the magnet’s
invisible magnetic field! Notice that the magnetic
field is not EVEN. Magnetic fields form lines around
a magnet, running from one end to the other. A
magnetic field is the first ingredient needed to make
electricity.
3
Here, several magnets are attached to the big wheel inside. Turn the
handle, make the wheel (and magnets) spin, and see if you can make a current flow along the length of copper wire. You’ll know you’ve done it when
you see the electric spark jump the gap. Copper wire is the second
ingredient, as it’s perfect for letting an electric current flow!
4
Do you have the power to turn on the light? In the black cylinder underneath the bulb is ALMOST everything you need to make electricity: a
length of coiled copper wire plus magnets with strong magnetic fields. The
final ingredient is your arm! A force is needed to make the magnetic fields
rotate. Moving magnetic fields causes current to flow along the copper
wire, lighting your bulb.
IT’s NOT EASY! That’s why we burn so much coal and oil to power our lives,
and why researchers are looking to the force of the wind and the waves as an
alternative. If you had to rely on our own physical force, you would have toTURN THAT LIGHTBULB GENERATOR FOR ABOUT A WEEK before you
had enough power TO WATCH TELEVISION FOR ONE HOUR!
sea of sound
In the submarine try out our sound
station to listen to some undersea
sounds. Look at the screen, the wave you see is what the sound LOOKS
LIKE. It is called a sound wave.
Sound is a type of energy made by vibrations.
Sound causes molecules in the air to vibrate as the
sound waves travel from their source to your ear.
The PITCH is the high or low (soprano or bass) of
the sound and the VOLUME is the loud or soft
(shout or whisper).
Now, see what your voice looks like! Do the sound waves change when
you talk in a high squeeky voice? What about when you talk in a deep
low voice? What about when you whisper? Or talk really loud?
Dive, hover and explore Galway Bay and
the deep Atlantic Ocean. In the submarine,
head to one of the viewing stations, put on
some headphones, and get ready to explore in our supersubmarine.
dive, hover
explore
Dr. Flora and Dr. Fauna will guide you
all around the area, and show you some
interesting plants, animals, and special
spots where marine scientists at NUI
Galway are doing lots of cool work.
START: Get a good introduction to Galway Bay and the surrounds.
North Galway Bay: You can head right out to Coral Beach in Carraroe,
stopping to meet a friendly turbot, some beautiful jellyfish, and more.
South Galway Bay: Fly up and get a great view of the Burren, and dive
under to meet some interesting creatures like the primitive sponge and
the super sticky goose barnacle.
INTO THE DEEP: Coming soon you will be able to check out some deep
sea hydrothermal vents and Ireland’s own offshore deepwater coral reef.